Chris bought a Hewlett Packard-Compaq laptop that started suffering an ink blot-like glob of dead pixels several months later. Convinced that the malady is due to a manufacturing defect, he’s trying — so far unsuccessfully — to get HP to warranty it out. He writes: [More]
computers
Customer Makes 2-Hour Best Buy Trek For Vanishing Netbook
By 12.3.09
Valente’s plan was simple enough: Purchase a netbook from Best Buy during Cyber Monday sale. Order it from Best Buy’s web site for in-store pickup so he could be sure to have it in hand. Bring netbook home and hide it from his son until Christmas. Unfortunately, he tells Consumerist, the transaction didn’t work out according to his plan, he drove to another Best Buy two hours away that claimed to have a netbook on hold for him. A netbook that did not, as it turned out, exist. [More]
Use The Internet To Subvert Bogus Best Buy Optimization Fees
By 11.30.09
Patrick discovered a clever way of avoiding Best Buy’s silly optimization fees as he shopped for a laptop: Shop online and opt for in-store pickup. [More]
BlueHippo Files Chapter 11 After Bank Accounts Frozen
By 11.28.09
It appears that when the FTC filed a contempt charge against scamtastic consumer electronics purveyor Bluehippo, the company’s bank took notice and froze their accounts. Now Bluehippo has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, claiming that they can’t repay their creditors, what with the frozen bank accounts and all. This will not end well. [More]
FTC Files Contempt Charge Against BlueHippo For Continuing To Rip Off Customers
By 11.12.09
Today the FTC lodged a contempt charge against scammy no-credit-needed electronics seller BlueHippo, saying that the company hasn’t honored its prior agreement to stop scamming customers. BlueHippo agreed to pay back $3.5 million nearly two years ago to reimburse customers who never received the computers they pre-paid for, but the FTC says since then the company has sucked another $15 million out of customers.
HP Returns Computer With Faulty Repair, Bonus Dust Bunnies
By 11.12.09
Marc thought he was being practical when be purchased a four-year warranty to go along with his HP desktop. After about a year, the computer failed. No problem. Just send the tower in for some of that stellar HP repair service. Except there’s probably a reason why you rarely hear the words “stellar,” “HP,” and “repair” in the same sentence.
Dell Will Overnight Your Replacement Laptop Within 18 Business Days
By 11.5.09
Rob tells us he ordered a Dell laptop from their outlet store, but received the wrong machine. He says he called up Dell and asked for them to send the computer that he actually ordered. “Sure,” said the nice folks at Dell. “We’ll overnight you the correct computer within eighteen business days.” Rob was confused.
Dell Sells Laptop With External Drive But No Way To Connect It To Computer
By 11.4.09
David says he bought a Dell tablet that came with an external CD/DVD drive but no way to hook it up, making it all but impossible to install his operating system.
I Sent Dell My Laptop And All I Got Back Was This Stupid Hard Drive
By 11.2.09
Maybe Adam is being a bit unreasonable here, but when he sends in a laptop to be repaired he expects to receive not only the laptop’s hard drive, but the entire computer.
NeatReceipts Offers Extra Neat Customer Service
By 11.1.09
Christopher made a mistake when he ordered a NeatReceipts scanner from Woot. He made some incorrect assumptions and ordered the Windows version of the device when he uses a Mac. But even though he was the one who made the mistake, the neat people at NeatReceipts happily swapped scanners with him—for free.
Microsoft Stores To Sell Bloatware-Free PCs
By 10.30.09
If you hate buying a new PC that’s riddled with bloatware, you may want to pay a Microsoft Store a visit on your next computer shopping trip. They plan on selling PCs free of any third-party trial applications, reports OhGizmo.
Citibank Doesn't Want Your Business, Linux Users
By 10.30.09
For some reason, Citibank won’t let customers using Linux computers log in to their online accounts. Adam argues that in 2009 this doesn’t make sense, especially when no other major corporate website blocks him like this.
Reader Receives $900 For Broken Laptop In Small Claims Court
By 10.23.09
Ryan in North Dakota bought a very nice HP laptop in 2007. This particular model, he DV6000, has a certain flaw, and HP extended the warranty to cover inevitable repairs. But when the computer broke down for the second time at the tender age of two and a half years, and HP wouldn’t repair it for free, he was angry. He had expected to get at least four years’ use out of the laptop.
Lenovo Screws Up Every Part Of Computer Purchase
By 10.22.09
Dan and his roommate had a crazy plan. They would use Dan’s credit card to purchase a laptop computer from Lenovo. The roommate would write Dan a check for the total amount the computer cost. Lenovo would ship a working computer to the roommate, thus completing a straightforward exchange of currency and consumer goods. Unfortunately, life is not that simple in the Land of Lenovo.
Dell Lies About Repairs, Ruins Vacation
By 10.20.09
Michael emailed us, and Dell, from a loaner computer while he’s on a trip. His own laptop isn’t working, and thanks to a steady stream of broken promises and incorrect information, now he’s stuck without access to the software and development files he needs for his work.
Dell Slowly Sends Out Crappier Replacement Laptop
By 10.19.09
Yuriy’s Dell laptop conked out last month, and so far the company has said “Dude, you’re NOT getting a Dell” via its convoluted replacement process. All Yuriy has to show for the effort of trying to get the computer replaced is an inferior model.
EECB Ends Yearlong Dell Notebook Debacle
By 10.2.09
Greg struggled for more than a year to get Dell to solve myriad issues with his notebook, but moved things along real quick-like once he ignited an Executive Email Carpet Bomb. He wrote us the following, summarized from two separate messages:
Your New Computer's Free Windows 7 Upgrade? Not So Free, Actually
By 10.1.09
Not many people really want a computer with Windows Vista. The sensible thing for customers who need a computer—but not right away—to do is wait until the launch of Windows 7 and then buy a computer with the much-awaited OS pre-installed. Vendors realize this, and are trying to get Vista-laden machines off their shelves with the promise of a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out. A free upgrade that is not, in fact, free.
